Water Quality Division

Blue Thumb Program

A water pollution education program of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission's Water Quality Division.
The goal of Oklahoma's Blue Thumb Program is to protect water resources against nonpoint source pollution by empowering citizens to protect water quality. This is accomplished through:

Educational workshops

Tours

Demonstrations and Presentations

Monitoring

The Jay High School Blue Thumb stream team takes a closer look at Brush Creek in Delaware County.

Oklahoma's Blue Thumb Program originates from the Oklahoma Conservation Commission's Water Quality Division. It is a nonpoint source pollution education program that is at work throughout the state.

Nonpoint source pollution is the "pollution for which the specific point of origin is not well-defined." Both urban and rural lifestyles can contribute, and a few examples of nonpoint source pollution are:

Sediment from land clearing activities

Fertilizer and pesticide runoff

Animal waste runoff

Gasoline and oil which enters water bodies

Grass clippings placed in creeks or lakes

Blue Thumb helps citizens become aware of the power they have to make decisions that help keep our water resources clean.

An agricultural producer plowing the land, spreading chicken litter to fertilize pastures, or grazing 100 head of cattle faces a different set of issues than an urban homeowner who wants a bright green lawn that is completely free of ticks and grubs. Both types of citizens need to know that there are "best management practices" that can be employed to help them protect their local streams and lakes.

Best management practices, often simply called "BMPs" are practices that protect water against pollution, or more generally, protect resources against human activities.

The agricultural producer can engage in no-till farming, store chicken litter in an appropriate building, install grassed waterways, and use rotational grazing to keep the land productive and protect water quality.

The urban homeowner can use native vegetation that needs no additional fertilizer or watering and maintain the lawn at the proper height. These are practices that will reduce nutrient pollution to streams and discourage pests from making themselves too much at home.

So a BMP might be as simple as mowing more often or as complex as installing fencing to keep cattle away from sensitive creek banks.